Talk by Stephen Mould, repetiteur and 1998 Bayreuth
Scholarship winner, and recital by Warwick Fife 19 September 1999
The talk planned by Stephen Mould, repetiteur and 1998 Bayreuth Scholarship
winner, for 19 September had, by the time the day arrived, been transmutated
in true Wagner fashion into a tightly constructed recital punctuated
by interesting insights into 'some of the more obscure' Wagner.
As Stephen explained, he had constructed the recital and talk as
a 'thank you' to the Society for his scholarship, which had enabled
him to spend some time in Germany undertaking particular aspects of
his continuing artistic development. He had asked his colleague, Warwick
Fyfe, to be part of the production. Stephen explained that he and
Warwick had designed a program that would present some of the more
obscure and unknown Wagner songs. It was, he said, with 'some trepidation'
that he opened with Richard Strauss' ‘Zueignung’ (1882-3)
from Eight Songs, Opus10. Clearly this recital would be about
influences on and of Wagner and not just about Wagner's music. The
Strauss was followed by Richard Wagner's ‘Mignonne’ (Autumn
1839, text by Pierre de Ronsard) and two ‘Mephisto’ Lieder
(Nos and 5, 1831) from Seven Pieces for Goethe's Faust.
A treat was a comparison between Robert Schumann's ‘Les Deux
Grenadiers’ (Dec 1839-early 1840, Fr trans of Heinrich Heine)
and Wagner's ‘Die beiden Grenadiere’ (1840, from Romanzen
und Balladen vol ii, text by Heinrich Heine). Stephen said that in
comparing the two works it is important to consider how the music
and the words carry though the intent of the original verse. While
some in the audience may have given their vote to the Wagner version
with others the Schumann, the argument in itself is pleasing, given
the peculiar dynamics associated with Lieder and the need to understand
the meaning of the words within this art form.
The intimacy and low ceiling of the Goethe Institut's main hall
coped surprisingly well with Warwick Fyfe's rich and intense bass
voice. The piano and voice were well united and I could not help thinking
of the particular blending of sound in the Festspielhaus itself. Like
the Festspielhaus the Goethe Institut was filled with a capacity crowd.
This was a pleasing and fulfilling Wagner Society event that, hopefully,
will be emulated in the future.
JOHN STUDDERT
(Warwick Fyfe (bass) sang Fasolt in the Adelaide
production of the Ring Cycle and whose first engagement with the
Australian Opera was as Hermann Ortel in Die Meistersinger in 1994.
For Opera Australia he has recently sung in Tannhauser, Rigoletto,
Pelleas & Melisande and Fidelio. He is the winner of several
awards including the McDonald’s Aria Competition in 1998. Warwick
Fyfe is currently singing the role of a Flemish Deputy in Don Carlo,
and Stephen Mould is currently alternating with Carlo Felice Cillario
as conductor of La Boheme.)
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